Penguins forward Vinnie Hinostroza eager for another opportunity
Despite being tied for the team lead in scoring entering the day, forward Vinnie Hinostroza was not in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ lineup for their 4-2 home win against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday.
And for good reason.
He was on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster.
With backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic on long-term injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment, the Pittsburgh Penguins opted to take advantage of the relief that designation provides with regard to their salary cap and recalled Hinostroza on Thursday to serve as reserve 13th forward.
Quietly, the Penguins have been shuffling Hinostroza and fellow forward Radim Zohorna between the NHL and American Hockey League rosters via paper transactions over the past few days for the sake of daily maintenance of their salary cap figures. Those maneuvers figure to be a regular occurrence over the next handful of weeks.
Regardless, Hinostroza is grateful to be in the NHL no matter the circumstances.
“Obviously, this is where everyone wants to be,” Hinostroza said after a morning skate Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. “But I went down there. It’s a great team. I just tried to get better every day and work hard. I was able to play a lot of minutes down there and really work on my game. Coming up here, I just have to stay ready. If I get my chance, I’ll look to be ready and try to play my game within the system. I’m just happy to be back here.”
A free-agent signing in July, Hinostroza cleared waivers Oct. 9 and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton that same day when season-opening rosters were required to be submitted to the NHL.
In five games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Hinostroza posted four points (two goals, two assists), including a breakaway goal during a 5-1 win against the rival Hershey Bears on Wednesday, the day before he was recalled to Pittsburgh.
With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the right-handed Hinostroza could just play hockey instead of worrying about his place on the roster.
“Just getting back to believing in yourself and not overthinking things,” Hinostroza said. “The training camp is obviously very competitive. A lot of guys looking for one or two spots. I was able to go down there, not overthink anything. Just get back to my game, playing my game. I feel comfortable with where I’m at now. I played a lot of minutes so feel like my body is ready to go. Just looking forward to getting that opportunity.”
It remains to be seen when — or if — that opportunity will come. Hinostroza was a healthy scratch in Saturday’s home contest against the Ottawa Senators. He was a healthy scratch as well during a 4-0 home win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
In fact, during the morning skate, he worked as a defenseman on a fourth pair with defenseman P.O Joseph, also a healthy scratch.
“The lineup, as long as you’re winning, it’s staying the same,” Hinostroza said. “Obviously, I hope we keep winning and have team success. I’m just going to stay ready every day working hard in the gym, working on the ice for when that opportunity comes so that I can grasp it and try to stay there.”
A veteran of eight NHL seasons, Hinostroza has played more games in the NHL (360) than the AHL (125) by a wide margin throughout his career.
He doesn’t seem terribly interested in closing the gap between those figures.
“I still think I can be better,” Hinostroza said. “I’m 29. I think my best hockey is ahead of me. I’ve just got to stay working hard and stay positive.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.